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Horoscopes: March 22, 2015

Perhaps Jane Austen was speaking presciently to those on social media when she said, “To flatter and follow others, without being flattered and followed in turn, is but a state of half enjoyment.” Communication-planet Mercury and Pluto in powerful Capricorn will call attention to the balance of power on digital and real-life platforms.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You feel the admiration of someone upon you. Eyes linger a little longer than necessary. Questions are gentle and pointed at the same time. Even if you do not return the sentiment, the attention is flattering.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You gain something from being around the one who fascinates you. Articulate what you’re getting out of the relationship – like laughter, learning about different interests or cultures, and enjoyment in the moments together.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You are powerful, but you still need people. When they sense this, it’s good for your relationships. So don’t work so hard at trying to convince everyone that you’re completely self-sufficient.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Part of the way you pass down your legacy is to teach the ones you love to do something that you know how to do. Just know that they won’t get it on the first or even the 10th time. Be patient!

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You’ll be working in the privacy of your own space, and so no one will know whether you did the right thing or not. No one, that is, except for you – the one who matters most to your self-esteem.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Nothing favorably changes your brain chemistry and mood more than vigorous exercise. There are reasons you haven’t been able to get as much as you’d like lately, but that all changes today.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). If all you can say of an action is that it’s sensible, that is not enough of a reason to commit to it. What else is in it for you? Excitement? Glamour? Intrigue? Your life should have all of these qualities. It’s not too much to ask.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). If you could pay a visit to yourself, how would you be received? Lately, you’re not 100-percent sure that you’re even on your own side. It’s time to practice hospitality at a very personal level.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You will connect with one as bold and ambitious as you are. It will be refreshing to share your thoughts with someone who shares your optimism and high ideals.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Some amount of posturing and pretending is to be expected. It’s better to get involved with overly ambitious people than with those who don’t have any ambition at all.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Because you can read subtle expressions of feeling, you will offer people what they most want and need. This is the key that will allow you to deeply influence others.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY. In some ways, you are barely recognizable from the “you” of three years ago. Your personal life has changed considerably, and you’re still working on adding true supporters and friends to your team. Next month brings a financial bonus, and you’ll put it right back into a winning project. Your social status rises in May. Cancer and Sagittarius people adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 2, 40, 11, 27 and 42.

FORECAST FOR THE WEEK AHEAD: If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be? We’re all battling something. For most people, it’s an internal struggle – a tendency, flaw or belief that, if overcome, would free us in some way. As the sun graces Aries, the sign of the warrior, it’s the perfect time to ask yourself what fight you’re in. Wednesday, March 25, will feature an auspicious trine between the Aries sun and Saturn in Sagittarius. The fiery combination adds fuel to battle the main issue. Use it well, because Friday, March 27, the plot will thicken. It’s almost as though the universe wants to be sure this is an exciting enough fight to make an irreversible impression on us. Venus in Taurus will angle Jupiter in Leo in a way that blows everything out of proportion. Money and the material world will seem to matter more than they should, and the sensitive Cancer moon has us taking things far more personally than we need to, as well. Keep the ego in check. It’s better to get distance from a problem than to stew in the middle of it. There are times when it’s wisest to retreat.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Following her Academy-Award nominated performance in “Wild,” a film about one woman’s solo hike of 1,100 miles, Aries Reese Witherspoon will once again show off her versatility in the comedy “Hot Pursuit,” co-starring Sofia Vergara. Her natal sun, moon and Mars in Aries indicates a fiery, passionate intensity of spirit. Witherspoon’s Mercury and Saturn are in artistic Pisces.

In 1820, U.S. naval hero Stephen Decatur was killed in a duel with Commodore James Barron near Washington, D.C.

In 1894, hockey’s first Stanley Cup championship game was played; home team Montreal defeated Ottawa, 3-1.

In 1933, during Prohibition, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a measure to make wine and beer containing up to 3.2 percent alcohol legal.

In 1934, the first Masters Tournament opened under the title “Augusta National Invitation Tournament,” which was won three days later by Horton Smith.

In 1945, the Arab League was formed with the adoption of a charter in Cairo, Egypt.

In 1958, movie producer Mike Todd, the husband of actress Elizabeth Taylor, and three other people were killed in the crash of Todd’s private plane near Grants, New Mexico.

In 1963, The Beatles’ debut album, “Please Please Me,” was released in the United Kingdom by Parlophone.

In 1978, Karl Wallenda, the 73-year-old patriarch of “The Flying Wallendas” high-wire act, fell to his death while attempting to walk a cable strung between two hotel towers in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

In 1990, a jury in Anchorage, Alaska, found former tanker captain Joseph Hazelwood not guilty of three major charges in connection with the Exxon Valdez oil spill, but convicted him of a minor charge of negligent discharge of oil.

In 1995, convicted Long Island Rail Road gunman Colin Ferguson was sentenced to life in prison for killing six people.

Ten years ago: Terri Schiavo’s parents begged a federal appeals court to order the severely brain-damaged woman’s feeding tube reinserted after their emergency request was turned down by a federal judge in Tampa, Florida. (The court refused to intervene.) A woman claimed to have found a severed human fingertip while eating Wendy’s chili at a restaurant in San Jose, costing the fast-food chain millions in lost sales before she admitted it was a hoax (the digit came from her husband’s co-worker, who’d been in a workplace accident). Anna Ayala and her husband, Jaime Plascencia, later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to file a false insurance claim and attempted grand theft and were sentenced to prison.

Five years ago: Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton toured the quake-devastated capital of Haiti, a visit intended to remind donors of the immense needs facing the recovery effort. Google Inc. stopped censoring the Internet for China by shifting its search engine off the mainland to Hong Kong.

One year ago: A massive mudslide in Oso, Washington, killed 43 people and destroyed or damaged four dozen homes. A barge and cargo ship collision in the Houston Ship Channel dumped nearly 170,000 gallons of heavy fuel oil. Pope Francis named the first members of a commission to advise him on sex abuse policy. The Los Angeles Dodgers opened the Major League Baseball season with a 3-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Sydney Cricket Ground in the MLB’s first regular-season game in Australia.

Horoscopes: March 21, 2015

We are still riding high on the bright energy of the new moon, the total solar eclipse and the spring equinox of yesterday, with the Aries moon leading the way with the energy of a rambunctious child. Everything is a wonder seen through new eyes. “In the springtime, the only pretty ring time, when birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding.” — William Shakespeare

ARIES (March 21-April 19). Research shows that a stressed or nervous person can focus on only a few things at a time, while a calm person can take in more details. It’s one more reason for you to make yourself comfortable.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Part of the work ahead will have to do with healing family relationships or finding new ways of handling them. Focus first on your own feelings, especially the ones you’ve tried to push down or deny.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). The clock hands will smile on you. You’ll find shortcuts and ways to maximize your efforts. You’ll get the work done in half the time or fit twice the fun into your leisure hours.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Softness and weakness are not the same thing. Anyway, forceful tools and attitudes won’t work today. A warm smile will put people immediately on your side.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). People aren’t always that nice. It’s why you choose to honor the kind ones you meet along the way with exchanges of appreciation and encouragement.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). In the culture of consumerism, effective marketing of substandard goods can net more profit than quality goods with bad or no marketing. You’ll busy yourself with the homework of a savvy consumer.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Trying to get a commitment out of someone is work, while trying to engage a person in one interesting moment is play. Don’t worry – you’ll be able to string those moments together with the right person.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You’ll truly feel like the master of your destiny this year, though you should understand that, as with all master-and-servant relationships, the servant also has quite a lot of power.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). A specific and unique reaction is a kind of gift that you give to another person, letting this person know that you are paying close and special attention to the nuances of who he or she is.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You’ll be tested. You have an unfair advantage in this: your sharp powers of observation. If you watch and listen closely, people usually will subtly indicate to you exactly what they want you to do or say.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You’ll be inspired by a hero. This could be one you’ve long held in high esteem or one that’s created in a moment of valor. You, too, have heroic qualities, which is why you’re so impressed.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). On your quest to being a better person, you’re usually up for making improvements. What’s needed most now has nothing to do with action and everything to do with accepting and relaxing into how you are “as-is.”

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY. You’re in sync with the cosmic clock, as evidenced by the “coincidental” good luck you experience over the next six weeks. May brings the kind of personal success that vindicates past slights. You’ll raise the morale and effectiveness of your family or a group. June shows you dancing with your love. Taurus and Capricorn people adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 6, 17, 42, 38 and 21.

ASTROLOGICAL QUESTIONS: “The problem I’m having now is that getting along with everyone in my family and doing what a person has to do to keep a household of four running takes so much energy that I feel like I never get a break. I feel like I’ve been exhausted for nearly a decade. My husband is a kind person, but he is not very helpful or supportive. Whenever I get angry with him for being so self-centered as to expect that I’ll do everything around the house, work and take care of our children, he says, ‘At least I’m not a drug addict.’ I do not even know how to respond to that. What is an exhausted Pisces to do?”

The main thing is to sleep. Also clear the schedule to do things such as lounging around and loafing. There are many self-improvement and relationship-improvement techniques you might employ to make your life more organized or your husband more loving, but I don’t believe that will speak to your main problem as stated: exhaustion. And so, dear deeply empathetic, highly responsible, sensitive and caring Pisces, the very best thing you can do for yourself and your family might simply be to go to bed.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Aries are known for youth and vitality, and the perennially boyish charms of Matthew Broderick prove the point. This father of three with wife Sarah Jessica Parker was born when the sun and Venus were in energetic Aries, and Mercury and Mars were in artistic, sensitive Pisces – ideal aspects for an actor’s life and craft. Look for Broderick in the upcoming Neil LaBute project “Dirty Weekend.”

WayBackWhen™: March 21, 2015

Today is Saturday, March 21, the 80th day of 2015. There are 285 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlights:

On March 21, 1965, civil rights demonstrators led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. began their third, successful march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. NASA launched Ranger 9, the last of the Ranger series of spacecraft sent to explore the moon.

On this date:

In 1556, Thomas Cranmer, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, was burned at the stake for heresy.

In 1685, composer Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach, Germany.

In 1804, the French civil code, or the “Code Napoleon” as it was later called, was adopted.

In 1925, Tennessee Gov. Austin Peay signed the Butler Act, which prohibited the teaching of the Theory of Evolution in public schools. (Tennessee repealed the law in 1967.)

In 1935, Persia officially changed its name to Iran.

In 1945, during World War II, Allied bombers began four days of raids over Germany.

In 1952, the Moondog Coronation Ball, considered the first rock and roll concert, took place at Cleveland Arena.

In 1960, about 70 people were killed in Sharpeville, South Africa, when police fired on black protesters.

In 1963, the Alcatraz federal prison island in San Francisco Bay was emptied of its last inmates and closed at the order of Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy.

In 1972, the Supreme Court, in Dunn v. Blumstein, ruled that states may not require at least a year’s residency for voting eligibility.

In 1985, police in Langa, South Africa, opened fire on blacks marching to mark the 25th anniversary of Sharpeville; the reported death toll varied between 29 and 43.

In 1990, Namibia became an independent nation as the former colony marked the end of 75 years of South African rule.

Ten years ago: A high school student on the Red Lake Indian reservation in Minnesota killed five schoolmates, a teacher and an unarmed guard before taking his own life; Jeff Weise had earlier killed his grandfather and his grandfather’s companion. Armed with a new law rushed through Congress and signed by President George W. Bush, the attorney for Terri Schiavo’s parents pleaded with a judge to order the brain-damaged woman’s feeding tube re-inserted. (The judge ended up refusing.) Ailing Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist returned to the Supreme Court bench to hear arguments despite his thyroid cancer. Cabaret singer Bobby Short died in New York City at age 80. Character actor Barney Martin, perhaps best known for playing Jerry Seinfeld’s father, died in Studio City at age 82.

Five years ago: Frustrated with the pace of action to overhaul the country’s immigration system, thousands of immigrant rights supporters descended on the nation’s capital, waving American flags and holding homemade signs in English and Spanish. France’s long-flailing political left made a big comeback, crushing President Nicolas Sarkozy’s conservatives in regional elections.

One year ago: A federal judge ruled that Michigan’s ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional, striking down a law widely embraced by voters a decade earlier. (More than 300 same-sex couples in four Michigan counties wed the next day before an appeals court suspended the decision; two Detroit-area nurses are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the marriage ban.) Character actor James Rebhorn, 65, died in South Orange, New Jersey.